And The Shouting Turned To Tears
by Kryptonian-Suckerpunch
Summary: This was Bart's mission. He couldn't screw it up. There was too much on the line to screw it up. Too many lives lost. But no matter what Jaime does, Bart won't believe it. He won't believe that Jaime is moded. ...Until he says that one word... (Part Two In Progress. Rated T to be safe. Mild violence, and ANGST DUN DUN DUN. Might be shipping, not quite sure)
1. To Count My Sins

Every fiber in his body begged Bart to run. His legs ached, even vibrating slightly with need of fleeing. But Bart wanted to stay.

_He wanted to see Jaime go back to normal._

Throughout the past week, Bart noticed slight differences in his friend. A different attitude, a new dialect, unnecessary risks on missions. Bart spent hours at night awake, trying to banish the possibility from his mind.

_No Bart, he's not…_

_ You coming back from the future fixed it._

_ That was your mission. To save Jaime and save the time-stream._

_ You didn't screw it up._

_ Oh please._

_ Please._

_ You __**can't **__screw up._

But the team confirmed the suspicions Bart tried to desperately banish in his mind.

_Jaime was moded._

As if the terrible nightmares and visions of being a slave didn't taunt him enough, he know _knew _who his 'slave master' was. He wasn't just the cruel, terrifying, colossal bug in armor. He was the goofy, kind-hearted Jaime, who wanted nothing but to be normal.

_If only…_

As he lay at the side of the asphalt road, resting shakily on his knees, gripping bruised side with one hand, wiping his bloody mouth with the other, Bart wanted this to desperately be a nightmare. One of the visions that haunted him while everyone else slept. Bart begged in his head. He begged that the team's suspicion wasn't true. He begged for Jaime to come to his senses. He begged for this to be a nightmare. He would take a million nightmares if it meant for this one to not be one of them.

"_Oh, but this is a nightmare, alright." _His Slave Master's voice rung in his head, taunting him as the speedster's head swirled. At this, Bart wailed out in anguish. Not because of the bloody mouth, the broken teeth, the cracked rib. All that was a mere scratch compared to the voice.

"_It's a nightmare. But you're not asleep"_

Bart desperately wanted this not to be true.

"H-H-Hermano…" Bart struggled for breath, wheezing for air as his cracked lips attempted to form words. His whole body shook, and his head was swimming, as well as racing with a million thoughts. "L-Let me help you!" He begged, tears caking the rims of his emerald eyes. Bart's heart was breaking, but Jaime above him? Jaime just laughed, spitting on the ground in front of Bart.

Bart could barely even _look _at Jaime. One look was all it took for Bart to see the shell of who Jaime once was. The Speedster forced himself, staring Jaime dead in the face, fighting back tears that threatened to spill.

"**It'll help me if you get out of my way" **Jaime said slowly, his voice sounding the same, but so foreign to Bart. Jaime turned to walk away, leaving Bart broken in the dust. But Jaime stopped, swinging his head back, barely looking at the broken boy.

And Jaime muttered the one word that was the most vile, putrid curse Bart could imagine.

"_**Meat-Bag"**_

(( Now who doesn't love some Jaime/Bart angst?! Hahaha. Thanks for reading! This was originally meant to be a one-shot, but I've decided to make it a two-part story. Part Two will be soon, so don't worry! Not sure if this will be BluePulse, we'll see how it goes. If you read my Supernatural fic, rest assured that a new chapter is in progress (slowly ), as well as a chapter for my Walking Dead fic. Enjoy, and feel free to message me!


	2. Where My Demons Hide

Jaime had Bart terrified, paralyzed and even _shaking _with fear. But after hearing that vile, putrid word, a new feeling filled the pit in Bart's stomach.

_Anger._

_ Bart was angry._

He forced himself to stand, his chest and bones aching and groaning as he did so. He stood on two wobbly legs, anger and betrayal rushing through his veins and marinating into his bones. He was so angry, he was vibrating. The word hung over his head, beating into his mind and body with sickening thuds.

"What did you just call me?" He growled, advancing toward Jaime in the fastest speed he could manage without using his powers. "You heard me, meat. -." Jaime began to speak again, but Bart interrupted him.

Bart jumped at Jaime; he tacked Jaime to the ground and started hitting him. "After everything I've done for you!" Bart screamed between punches, slamming his fists into Jaime's body. "I came back for you!" He screamed, tears of frustration and betrayal flowing down his cheeks. "I trusted you! I believed in you!"

"_**I risked everything for you!" **_Bart slammed another fist into Jaime's face, feeling the crack of his former friend's nose under his calloused fist. Bart's arms ached and whined, his knuckles were a blistering purple, and his breath came out in labored huffs. He inched off Jaime, collapsing in a shaking, sobbing pile. With each sob, his lungs ached for breath, but Bart didn't care. He stared at the bruised, slightly bloody body of his… no, the _shell _of his old friend.

"Why'd you make me do that?" He muttered between sobs to Jaime, who was unconscious for the time being. Bart looked at this fists, the cracking of the skin, the blood and the bruises that ghosted over his knuckles, and cried even more. "Why'd you make me hurt you?" He begged, pretty much talking to open air at this point.

Bart didn't know what he felt, but he knew that whatever it was: there was a lot of it. Emotions swirled in the speedster's stomach, poking and picking at his insides and he thinks about what he did. He's never lost control like that, and definitely _never _thought of hurting a friend that somewhere deep inside, _needed his help. _

But that word, the mere thought of that word made Bart feel like he got run over by a 100-ton bus. His stomach churned and his head pounded, but he'd take a million beatings daily if it meant to never, ever even _think_ of that word. Before Jaime saying it, Bart thought he'd never hear that word. In fact, he thought of one of the things he told Nathaniel before he left:

_"At least I'll never have to hear that word again."_

But now here he was, a mess next to the person he tried so desperately to save, sobbing hysterically over the monster that that word had turned him into. He thought about what Nathaniel would be think if he saw Bart like this, and the thought wasn't pretty.

"Goddammit, Jaime" He muttered, struggling to catch his breath. Bart scrunched up and hid his head in the crest of his knees. He didn't want to look at the shell of his friend, the brutal reminder that one word can cause him to lose all control. Looking at Jaime was like ripping the scab off old wounds and saturating them in rubbing alcohol.

Through his sobbing, Bart couldn't hear Jaime stir. Jaime rose to a sitting position, groaning loudly and rubbing his head. Bart looked up, and immediately flinched. He instinctively started crawling away; fear of what Jaime might do stirring inside him.

"B-Bart?" Jaime muttered dizzily, rubbing his eyes as if that would change anything. Bart's heart started pumping, beating loudly in his ears and jumping into his throat. "N-no, please d-don't" Bart spoke hastily, trying to scurrying away as fast as he possibly could. "Bart, I'm not going to- is that blood?" He asked, which confused Bart. How did he not recognize the scar he formed on Bart's mouth? Did Bart pound him so hard, he forget about the beating he gave Bart earlier?

And then it dawned on Bart.

_His voice was softer. His eyes were warmer. The beetle armed has diminished. _

Could it possibly be…?

"Here, I'm still here" Jaime said in a hushed tone, crawling towards Bart. Bart stared at him, emerald irises filled with confusion as he took in the sight. "Hermano, it's me" Jaime muttered, wrapping an arm around Bart's shaking shoulders. Bart flinched and attempted to pull away, but Jaime held the shaking, chesnut speedster close.

"I'm _so sorry, Bart"_

And those were the last words the two boys spoke before they fell asleep, but there was one final thought in Bart's head.

"_I did it"_


End file.
